Is it possible that a protagonist can be the bad guy? Contrary to popular belief, the protagonist, or the character the story follows, can be a bad guy or an anti-hero. As long as the story revolves around a specific character, that character will be the protagonist, whether good or bad; but in most cases, the protagonist is a good guy.
When the main character contains evil motives, it indicates that the individual possesses an anti-hero archetype. Many works of literature include anti-heroes where the some of the adjectives that describe the characters include evil, arrogant, cruel, and bitter. In many cases the anti-hero develops into a very popular character because they catch the reader’s attention and grab them in, causing the audience to want more information about the character.
An anti-hero archetype combines both villain and hero characters. An anti-hero has the attributes of a villain, but has the intentions of a hero. Sometimes ant-heroes are portrayed as outsiders, someone who lacks courage, or shows weakness. This archetype is also shown by being rebellious or even being deeply flawed. The different characteristics that the anti-hero contributes to the story depend on how the author portrays the character.
Stories with anti-heroes provide a certain spark, like excitement or controversy that a story with an ordinary hero lacks.
Napoleon Dynamite
Part 1
Part 2
Hancock
Anakin Skywalker
Jay Gatsby
Adolf Hitler
Hitler demonstrates a real life anti-hero. Many people looked up to Hitler as a hero and an idol, but after World War II recognized that what he did was very wrong. Many people in Germany loved Hitler because of his extreme nationalism and belief that Germany could rule the world. However, now people understand that what Hitler did was wrong and was a brutal act of violence. Hitler’s mass genocide of the Jews made him one of the most infamous rulers of all time. Although many people looked up to and admired Hitler, he had a vicious goal, making him one of the greatest anti-heroes of all time.
Al Gore
Al Gore is a perfect example of an anti-hero in real life because he is thought to be a hero by environmental activists, but some people believe that Gore did not help the cause. His Oscar winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, captured the attention of the world by illustrating the disastrous events that can occur if our world remains ignorant about our effects on global climate change. Some argue that Gore’s good intentions of raising awareness of the dire situation did not actually help the cause, but instead turned off many Republicans to the idea that humans are the primary cause of global climate change. Al Gore, who was the Democratic vice president for eight years, had run for president as a Democrat, and then became the best-known spokesman for the urgency of preventing global warming. Republicans now view global warming as a political topic even though climate change is an issue that will affect every person on the planet. Most anti-heroes are full of contradictions. Al Gore’s lifestyle contradicts his mission: in his documentary, he says that all Americans should be more energy efficient and yet his mansion’s energy usage is 20 times the national average of private home energy usage. However, Al Gore is different from most anti-heroes because he does not seem to be motivated by self-interest or self-preservation.
Snape
Severus Snape
Severus Snape’s characteristics reveal him as an anti-hero because of his selfish, bullying, and cruel behavior. He is seen differently than other anti-heroes because he saved the main character’s life, Harry Potter, which is heroic; however he remains one of the meanest and most arrogant teachers which suits the anti-hero stereotype. Snape, also had a true love whom he risked his life for, but his character is unpopular because of his attitude. In addition, Snape demonstrates unwillingness to help in his quest for the better, which situates him into the category along with the other anti-heroes.
Jacob
Jacob, renamed Israel (struggler with God) from the Bible, is considered an antihero because of all of his altercations and wrong doings. One example of Jacob's bad actions is when he was living with Laban, he secretly finds a way to make money by enhancing the quantity of his animals offspring as uncle Laban's offspring declines. When the uncle reaches an ultimate low point, Jacob packs all of his things and flees with his wife and children to a better civilization without notifying Uncle Laban. Another example of his bad endeavors on a smaller scale, is when he steals the birth rights of his twin brother, Esau. This causes Jacob to have to flee from his community and begin a new life somewhere else. Although Jacob is mostly portrayed as the bad guy, God always believes in him. God promised that, through Jacob, the promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. So, even though Jacob has some negative characteristics, he is overall just considered a hero with a bad history.
Jacob fighting angel
House
Dr. House fits the anti-hero archetype like a hand to a glove, because at the same time as saving lives, his personality brings selfishness, disrespect, bitterness, and egocentricity to the environment around him. He is selfish because he takes many dangerous risks, which at times puts a patient in life or death situations, sometimes just so he can prove a point. However at times, he displays his other side by jeopardizing his job to help someone stay alive. Even though House matches an anti-hero character, he is different from other anti-heroes because while changing patients lives he is only trying to find answers for himself.
The Punisher
The Punisher is one of the most commonly thought of antihero in the genre of comics. Although Punisher means well for the society, he fights crime in a rather violent way. Some of his punishments include killing, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture which he considers the correct way to fight crime. One of the reasons for his crude behavior is the death of his parents; they were murdered by the mob when they watched a gangland execution. Without The Punisher, society probably would be led to think that all heroes are perfect and only criminals have flaws.
Citations:
Adolf Hitler. N.d. Slate. Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC, 2009.
Web. 20 Sept. 2009. <http://www.slate.com/id/2160289/>.
"Al Gore Biography." Bio. True Story. A&E Television Networks, 2007. Web. 19
Sept. 2009. <http://www.biography.com/articles/
Al-Gore-9316028?part=2>.
Malewitz, Jacob. "Defining the Anti-Hero: From Mythology to Modern Literature."
Associated Content. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/389655/
defining_the_antihero_from_mythology_pg2_pg2.html?cat=38>.
Anti-Hero
Intro:
Is it possible that a protagonist can be the bad guy? Contrary to popular belief, the protagonist, or the character the story follows, can be a bad guy or an anti-hero. As long as the story revolves around a specific character, that character will be the protagonist, whether good or bad; but in most cases, the protagonist is a good guy.
When the main character contains evil motives, it indicates that the individual possesses an anti-hero archetype. Many works of literature include anti-heroes where the some of the adjectives that describe the characters include evil, arrogant, cruel, and bitter. In many cases the anti-hero develops into a very popular character because they catch the reader’s attention and grab them in, causing the audience to want more information about the character.
An anti-hero archetype combines both villain and hero characters. An anti-hero has the attributes of a villain, but has the intentions of a hero. Sometimes ant-heroes are portrayed as outsiders, someone who lacks courage, or shows weakness. This archetype is also shown by being rebellious or even being deeply flawed. The different characteristics that the anti-hero contributes to the story depend on how the author portrays the character.
Stories with anti-heroes provide a certain spark, like excitement or controversy that a story with an ordinary hero lacks.
Napoleon Dynamite
Hancock
Anakin Skywalker
Jay Gatsby
Adolf Hitler
Hitler demonstrates a real life anti-hero. Many people looked up to Hitler as a hero and an idol, but after World War II recognized that what he did was very wrong. Many people in Germany loved Hitler because of his extreme nationalism and belief that Germany could rule the world. However, now people understand that what Hitler did was wrong and was a brutal act of violence. Hitler’s mass genocide of the Jews made him one of the most infamous rulers of all time. Although many people looked up to and admired Hitler, he had a vicious goal, making him one of the greatest anti-heroes of all time.
Al Gore
Al Gore is a perfect example of an anti-hero in real life because he is thought to be a hero by environmental activists, but some people believe that Gore did not help the cause. His Oscar winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, captured the attention of the world by illustrating the disastrous events that can occur if our world remains ignorant about our effects on global climate change. Some argue that Gore’s good intentions of raising awareness of the dire situation did not actually help the cause, but instead turned off many Republicans to the idea that humans are the primary cause of global climate change. Al Gore, who was the Democratic vice president for eight years, had run for president as a Democrat, and then became the best-known spokesman for the urgency of preventing global warming. Republicans now view global warming as a political topic even though climate change is an issue that will affect every person on the planet. Most anti-heroes are full of contradictions. Al Gore’s lifestyle contradicts his mission: in his documentary, he says that all Americans should be more energy efficient and yet his mansion’s energy usage is 20 times the national average of private home energy usage. However, Al Gore is different from most anti-heroes because he does not seem to be motivated by self-interest or self-preservation.
Snape
Severus Snape’s characteristics reveal him as an anti-hero because of his selfish, bullying, and cruel behavior. He is seen differently than other anti-heroes because he saved the main character’s life, Harry Potter, which is heroic; however he remains one of the meanest and most arrogant teachers which suits the anti-hero stereotype. Snape, also had a true love whom he risked his life for, but his character is unpopular because of his attitude. In addition, Snape demonstrates unwillingness to help in his quest for the better, which situates him into the category along with the other anti-heroes.
Jacob
Jacob, renamed Israel (struggler with God) from the Bible, is considered an antihero because of all of his altercations and wrong doings. One example of Jacob's bad actions is when he was living with Laban, he secretly finds a way to make money by enhancing the quantity of his animals offspring as uncle Laban's offspring declines. When the uncle reaches an ultimate low point, Jacob packs all of his things and flees with his wife and children to a better civilization without notifying Uncle Laban. Another example of his bad endeavors on a smaller scale, is when he steals the birth rights of his twin brother, Esau. This causes Jacob to have to flee from his community and begin a new life somewhere else. Although Jacob is mostly portrayed as the bad guy, God always believes in him. God promised that, through Jacob, the promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. So, even though Jacob has some negative characteristics, he is overall just considered a hero with a bad history.
House
Dr. House fits the anti-hero archetype like a hand to a glove, because at the same time as saving lives, his personality brings selfishness, disrespect, bitterness, and egocentricity to the environment around him. He is selfish because he takes many dangerous risks, which at times puts a patient in life or death situations, sometimes just so he can prove a point. However at times, he displays his other side by jeopardizing his job to help someone stay alive. Even though House matches an anti-hero character, he is different from other anti-heroes because while changing patients lives he is only trying to find answers for himself.
The Punisher
The Punisher is one of the most commonly thought of antihero in the genre of comics. Although Punisher means well for the society, he fights crime in a rather violent way. Some of his punishments include killing, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture which he considers the correct way to fight crime. One of the reasons for his crude behavior is the death of his parents; they were murdered by the mob when they watched a gangland execution. Without The Punisher, society probably would be led to think that all heroes are perfect and only criminals have flaws.
Citations:
Adolf Hitler. N.d. Slate. Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC, 2009.Web. 20 Sept. 2009. <http://www.slate.com/id/2160289/>.
"Al Gore Biography." Bio. True Story. A&E Television Networks, 2007. Web. 19
Sept. 2009. <http://www.biography.com/articles/
Al-Gore-9316028?part=2>.
Anti-Hero." Absolute Astronomy.com. Google, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Anti-hero#encyclopedia>.
“Defining and Developing your Anti-Hero." Writer's Digest. N.p., 23 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.writersdigest.com/article/Bullies_excerpt/>.
Don't Call Me "Doctor." N.d. Art's Strange World. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2009.
<http://artruch.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/dont-call-me-doctor/>.
" Fox's Official Show Description." House M.D.: Guide to the TV Show. Fox
Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.housemd-guide.com/showinfo/foxdescription.php>.
Malewitz, Jacob. "Defining the Anti-Hero: From Mythology to Modern Literature."
Associated Content. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/389655/
defining_the_antihero_from_mythology_pg2_pg2.html?cat=38>.
McCarthy, Todd. "Napoleon Dynamite." Variety. Reed Elsevier Inc., 2009. Web. 20
Sept. 2009. <http://www.variety.com/review/
VE1117922865.html?categoryid=31&cs=1>.
Phil, Stokes. "A Biography of Adolf Hitler."www.secondworldwar.co.uk. Phil Stokes, Web. 20
Sep 2009. <http://www.secondworldwar.co.uk/ahitler.html>.
Shaw, Bradford. "The Anti-Hero's Anti-Hero." Democratic Underground.com. N.p.,
2004. Web. 19 Sept. 2009. <http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/
01/03/010306_antihero.html>.
The Quirk. N.d. Into the Quiet. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2009.
<http://simonnemichelle.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/507/>.
Tiffany. "Anti-Heroes in Literature." learn hub. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2009.
<http://writing.learnhub.com/lesson/7614-anti-heroes-in-literature>.
Wood, Scott. "Napoleon Dynamite." Critical-Film.com. Google, n.d. Web. 20 Sept.
2009. <http://www.critical-film.com/reviews/N/Napoleon_Dynamite/
Napoleon_Dynamite.html>.
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